NVIDIA Releases MeeGo-compatible Video Drivers for Tegra

MeegoExperts reports that NVIDIA just released a set of video drivers enabling MeeGo to run on the numerous Tegra 2 tablets, such as the Advent Vega, Adam, Asus Transformer, Motorola Xoom and also the new range of Tegra 2 handsets. This will enable MeeGo and potentially other Linux distros using hardfp video drivers to compete in environment previously dominated exclusively by Android OS.

I would love to run this on my Elocity A7 (Tegra 2). It gets very little love from the seller, and I live off of images from XDA. Unfortunately, Dexter, the guy making the images available, was smacked down by the XDA forum folks, and he’s abandoned the device. Feature-wise, it is great. It can output HD video via the HDMI port. Nonetheless, I’ve learned my lesson. Don’t buy a device just based on specs – look at the community around the device. I wish I had gotten a Nook Color instead. It is less powerful, but the community around it is great. As it turns out, tablets are mostly good for book and simple games. Oh well, live an learn!

“I used to feel similarly – but I’ve come to realize that hardware manufacturers have basically become the decision makers for which OSes live and die… I’m not sure it’s ‘much better’ as a result.”

It’s worse than that. The binary drivers are usually version dependent (thanks to linus’ vision that ABIs are bad).

I maintain a custom linux kernel with AUFS patches and I already have to choose kernels by compatibility with AUFS (which has been rejected by mainline). Luckily I don’t need graphics on these kernels, but if I did my initial impression is that it’d be even more difficult finding a combination of kernels/binaries/patches that work together.

It would be nice if there was more kernel API/ABI stability such that compatibility would be less of an issue.

I agree with you. They killed a lot of interesting OSes and their blobs are a big source of frustration. the only solution is a specification for GFX that describes the hardware interface and is device maker independent with a mobile profile.